#BlackWomensEqualPay Day, which takes place on July 31, is the symbolic day when black women’s earnings “catch up” to white men’s earnings from the previous year. When 70 percent of black mothers serve as the primary or sole breadwinner in their family, every penny counts. The pay gap threatens women’s economic security and can hinder women’s ability to pay bills, including student loans. AAUW’s new report, Deeper in Debt: Women and Student Loans, found that a whopping 57 percent of black women who were repaying student loans reported that they had been unable to meet essential expenses within the past year. After all, it’s hard to pay bills when you’re missing a huge chunk of your paycheck.